Anti-Maoists Banned

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31305, 27 February 1967, Page 13

Anti-Maoists Banned

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter—Copyright) PEKING, Feb. 26. Thousands of people yesterday took part in a rally in Peking to mark the banning of nine counter-revolu-tionary organisations whose members have been charged with spreading lies and seducing young girls.

People marched in long columns to Tienanmen square following the announcement on wall posters that the organisations were dissolved and banned.

The posters were signed by the Military Control Committee of the Peking Army garrison, set up two weeks ago to supervise public security, and said that the organisations had been responsible for counter-revolutionary activities.

These included the dissemination of lies and rumours,

physical violence and waste of State property. Many of the members of these organisations had seduced girls, the posters said. Similar Names The organisations included "the Peking Office of Working Rebels’ Corps of Peking Agricultural Undertakings.” The names were roughly similar to genuine Maoist organisations, of which more than 20 continue to function in the capital. Some leaders of the organ-

isations had been imprisoned and members who had been misled should make self-criti-cisms, the posters said. Demonstrators marching through the streets in support

of the ban shouted slogans and bore placards reading: “A New Big Victory of the Cultural Revolution,” “We Have Destroyed Counter-Revo-lutionary Organisations” and “We Demand the Unity of All Revolutionaries.”

The rally, which was small by Peking standards, ended after about two hours. Observers saw the ban as a further move to bring order and discipline into the cultural revolution movement.

It may have been intended to clear out some extremists from the Maoist ranks or alternatively be aimed at opponents of the cultural revolution who had infiltrated among them.